Monday, June 4, 2012

Les Andelys, Rouen, and Honfleur

Les Andelys Overview from Richard the Lionheart's Castle

Richards Castle remparts

Our hotel in Paris was 50 metres from the highway that leads you out of the city west toward Rouen and the Normandie coast.Heiko had not been to the D Day beaches so we headed out that way with intermediate stops in Les Andelys to see Richard the Lionheart's Crusader castle, and Rouen to see St Joan of Arc’s memorial and where she was burned at the stake at age 19 by the British. St Joan of Arc is the patron saint of France.

Clock Tower Rouen

The cathedral there is immense, stark and holds the relic remains of King Richard the Lionheart’s, actual heart. Very close by is the Plague cemetery Sandra wanted to see as well. This was done under a cloudy humid Normandie sky, typical of weather in this part of France and perfect for setting the tome of this part of our trip. Rouen has as well a famous astronomical clock which is close to the town square.

Cathedral

Saints

Beautiful stairs

Plaque Cemetery Markings

Site of Plague Cemetery

Town Square

St Joan of Arc Stake

Champlain Recognition

Later in the day we made our way to Honfleur, where Samuel De Champlain set sail 4 times to Canada on expeditions and to populate New France.

Honfleur Harbor

Oldest Wooden

Church

Honfleur Streets

Our final hotel destination was Hotel La Romantica, just outside Honfleur with a view of the Sea. It was fine as accommodation but did not live up to the hype that Trip Advisor had reaped on it. Later in the evening we returned to Honfleur for Mussels, Sandra having her's in a cream sauce which was excellent.

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Brian

I am a motorcycle and sailing enthusiast who has been riding for over 40 years. I was turned on to motorcycles at the age of 13 when my parents first took me to Europe. Thank God they did!
Ever since that trip I have wanted to return to Europe to ride it by motorcycle. As you will see we didn't stop at 1 trip but we have done many.
I am very fortunate to have married my wife along time ago and we have loved doing this type of travel together.
Remember WE RETIRED, WE DIDN'T DIE!

Why we ride

1. Intimacy with your environment. You are part of the scene, not separated from it by remaining in a car. Your vision is unobstructed.

2. No sensory deprivation. You utilize all your senses as you ride, you can smell the flowers or baking, w/o barriers to see all around you and hear everything. You can smell the rain in the air, hear the kids in the playground, almost taste the pie on the window sill.And its easy to produce the High 5!

3. Physical fitness and endurance. Adventure riding is a sport, and it requires you to stay in shape.

4. You are the Ride. Imagine first that instead of the destination being the goal, the whole ride is an integral part of the experience. Its like riding the roller coaster to and from Disneyland.

5. Gyroscopic leveraging. With 4 wheels the centre of moment moves laterally in the opposite direction to your travel (in essence you are forced away from the direction of travel). On two wheels the gyroscopic centre of moment is used to aid you travelling in harmony with the centre of moment, and aids traction.

5. Camaraderie, motorcyclists of all stripes feel akin-ship to help should a problem exist.

6. Maneuverability. Whether it’s parking or passing you have many more options.

7. Performance. Motorcycles generally have higher power to weight ratios that make them thrilling to drive.